MANAGEMENT: During concomitant use of these drugs, patients should be monitored for potentially excessive or prolonged CNS and respiratory depression. Ambulatory patients should be counseled to avoid hazardous activities requiring mental alertness and motor coordination until they know how these agents affect them, and to notify their physician if they experience excessive or prolonged CNS effects that interfere with their normal activities.

I had (and still am) been on 3mg of Klonopin (not the same as Xanax, but really acts more or less the same) as well as 225mg of Lyrica (also not the same medication, but also very very similar, and works more or less the same) for a couple years, and the issue of interactions was never of any concern. What would be of concern would be if your on numerous other depressant medications, including certain OTC allergy medication such as Benadryl and any of the many many others that indicate on the warning label of possible interactions with depressant type medications.

At the time when I was taking these two, I was also taking 300mg of Tramadol as well as 30mg of Methadone, and had to watch my cns depression very carefully, as well as any symptoms of seritonin Syndrome as Pristiq was also in the mix taken at 100mg (Tramadol/Ultram is an SNRI as is Pristiq). I eventually found the overall combo to be more of a burden than a help (couldn't stay awake), and discontinued several of the depressant type meds that I was taking, and the previous concern of narcolepsy is now clearly not an option as my level of energy is almost back were it once was, and may be discontinuing the 225mg of Nuvigil as it's no longer necessary.

Getting back to your original question, as long as those are the only two, I wouldn't worry, even though they both hit on the GABA receptor. Maybe watch your alcohol intake as it also hits on the GABA receptor as well, and you might find yourself passed out if not careful as well as not remembering much from the previous day (learned my lesson early on, passed out at 8:00pm on new years eve a few years ago, was soooooooo embarrassed the following day). There's also that nasty possibility of death, so binge drinking is out of the question (and drinking the way I did that night was just stupid as I could very well have not woken up). If it's drinking in moderation, there's nothing to worry about though.

For all I know, you don't drink a drop, nonetheless, I feel that it's important to at least mention this info. Hope that this is of some help, and please also remember that I'm not a doctor or in the medical field, just a guy who has several issues that I'm working very hard on with therapy as well as medication. Hopefully I'll be off everything, although realistically it's very unlikely due to nasty genetics that may make that goal impossible.

I have been on many different type of Benzo's with Neurontin, for over six years. Anything dealing with a Benzo is addicting. From all of them I have been on (Klonopin, Ativan, and Xanax) XANAX was the worse out of them all, as it made me shake when it started to wear off.

I would ask your Doctor about your concerns and why he prescribed you Xanax. There are certain ones for certain conditions. I know out of most of the Benzo's, I preferred Klonopin (Clonazepam) as it does stays longer in your system. As I have been suffering with a Panic Disorder around 30 years (I was very young when this started) and Klonpin worked better. Ativan (Lorazepam) works better for a quick Anxiety attacks, and Xanax was better for sleeping, or for night terrors. As there are different reasons for certain people, and certain Doctors...

for whatever it's worth, I think that it's worth while to note that Xanax is often prescribed to be used as is needed, for situations or events that you know that you'll have difficulties with anxiety, vs. Klonopin that is for all the time sort of anxiety. It's more likely that those taking Xanax are not addicted to it due to not taking it all the time, and taking it only when needed. I could only assume that this would be the type of anxiety that you have, cause otherwise, a Xanax XR or Klonopin would be the item of choice, and more or less guarantees benzo addiction. The short acting action of Xanax makes it great for situational events, however if taken regularly, is really not a great choice (being addicted to a short acting drug = bad idea). I guess that I just want to point out what it is good for, and that it just is what it is.

The few people that I personally know that use xanax are not addicted, and use it only on occasion, vs. people like myself who are very much addicted to the klonopin, as I've been taking it for a few years now, constantly being in my system due to its long half life. It is for me a necessary evil, as I need something at work 27/7. At the same time, if addicted, better to be on a long acting benzo vs. short acting one as I mentioned above, as it is also "easier" (not that it's easy at all) to discontinue vs. the shorter acting ones.

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